


The Bet

by Pretzle05



Category: Rune Factory 4
Genre: Bets & Wagers, Comedy, F/M, Frey is Dating All the Bachelors, Harems, Headcanon, Humor, I'm Bad At Tagging, It gets out of hand, Mild Language, Multiple Endings, The Entire Town is Betting on Who Frey Will End Up With
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:35:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26345701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pretzle05/pseuds/Pretzle05
Summary: What started as just a friendly, lighthearted wager quickly gets out of hand.Otherwise known as headcanons about what would happen if the entire town decided to bet on who Frey ends up marrying. May make a part two with Lest.
Relationships: Arthur/Frey (Rune Factory), Doug/Frey (Rune Factory), Dylas/Frey (Rune Factory), Frey/Kiel (Rune Factory), Frey/Leon (Rune Factory), Frey/Vishnal (Rune Factory)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 33





	The Bet

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all. This is just a little headcanon nugget that I came up with my brother that's been itching at my brain for a while. So I hope you enjoy! Please let me know what you think down in the comments!

_The Beginning_

  * The entire thing started when Clorica, Margaret, and Forte were together eating lunch at Porcoline's one day.
  * Frey had been in Selphia for almost a whole year at that point, and the conversation turned to discussing everyone's favorite princess.
  * When suddenly, Margaret asked a question that would send the entire town of Selphia down the road to chaos.
  * "So, do you think she's going to start dating anybody soon?"
  * Clorica smiled knowingly and nodded her head. "Oh definitely. You should see the way she looks at Vishnal. She's probably still just trying to gather up the courage to ask him out!"
  * Margaret frowned a little at that, her eyebrows scrunching up in confusion. "Really? I always kind of thought she had a thing for Dylas. I mean, she's always talking to him so much, even though he's such a grouch most of the time. Plus it's _really_ obvious he's got a soft spot for her." She giggled. "I wouldn't be surprised if there were wedding bells in their future."
  * "Really, Dylas? They're just friends. But _Vishnal—"_ Clorica smirked. "He is absolutely _smitten._ He's always working extra hard to help her out and make her happy. He even wakes up early every morning just to wake her up! And he already has a petname for her! There's no way that's not happening sometime soon."
  * "Under normal circumstances, I'd probably agree with you, but don't you think that's just Vishnal being super dedicated to his job? I thought the only reason he called her 'Princess' was because he's always really wanted to serve royalty? But something is definitely going on with her and Dylas—I've never seen _anybody_ manage to get him to talk quite as much as her."
  * Clorica tilted her head to the side thoughtfully. "That's fair. But I still think there's something more going on with them. What do you think Forte? Who do you think Frey will end up with?"
  * Forte hadn't really been paying attention until her name was spoken, and she immediately flushed once she realized the contents of their conversation, having absolutely no idea about anything having to do with romance whatsoever.
  * "F-frankly, I don't really see why it's any of my business. Besides, just because she spends a lot of time with some of the men in town doesn't mean she's interested in them. I mean, she's with Kiel all the time."
  * Margaret's eyes widened. "Oh, so do you think she's going to start dating Kiel?"
  * Forte's face flushed darker. "Wh-what?! No—That's not what I—"
  * "So you don't think he has what it takes to get the girl then, Forte?" Clorica asked, her expression softly curious.
  * "N-n-no! That's not what I meant either!"
  * "You know what?" Margaret said. "I'd be willing to bet 500 gold that Frey ends up dating Dylas. There's just no way it's not going to happen!"
  * "Oh, are we betting now?" Clorica smiled cheerfully. "How fun! In that case, I'll bet 500 that she ends up with Vishnal."
  * "Alright then, it's settled! How about you Forte? Do you want to put any money down on Kiel?"
  * Forte bristled. "What? No! I have no interest in meddling in Frey's love life."
  * "But it's not meddling Forte," Clorica explained. "It's just a bet. Call it a prediction." Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and sadness. "Don't you have faith in your brother? You yourself even said that they're really close."
  * As much as Forte had no desire to get involved with this whatsoever, she couldn't just refuse. Clorica's guilt-trip was too powerful for her. "............Fine. I'll put in 500 gold as well."
  * Clorica clapped her hands together happily. "Yay! Oh this is going to be so much fun! I can't wait to see how it all goes!"
  * They each wrote down their name, their prefered bachelor, and their wager on separate slips of paper. Somehow, they managed to rope Forte into being the moderator, saying that she was the most responsible of the three of them (which wasn't incorrect). If any of them wanted to increase their wager, they'd write the amount down on another piece of paper and give it to Forte for safe keeping. And so it began.
  * Little did they know that this one conversation would eventually plunge the entirety of Selphia into madness.



_The Thick of it_

  * Word spread fast in Selphia, so it was no surprise when somebody else found out about the girls' little wager and asked to join in.
  * What _was_ surprising was that it was Amber.
  * "I heard that you, Forte, and Meg are playing a game! Can I play?"
  * Clorica tilted her head to the side in confusion. "A game? We're playing a game?" Her eyebrows furrowed in distress. "Oh no, did I forget something again?"
  * "Aren't you guys playing a game about Frey and the boys? I heard Forte and Meg talking about it." Amber looked up at Clorica with big, pleading eyes. _"Please_ can I play with you? It sounds like a lot of fun!"
  * Clorica's eyes widened in realization. _"Oh,_ you mean _that."_ She giggled. "I wouldn't really call it a game, but I suppose you could think of it that way. Sure you can play." She pulled out a little notebook from her pocket. "Who would you like to bet on, and how much money do you want to put down on them?"
  * Amber hummed, tapping her chin thoughtfully. She smiled. "How about 500 gold on Doug?"
  * "Doug? Are you sure?"
  * She nodded decisively. "Yes, it has to be Doug!"
  * Clorica shrugged and wrote down her bet. She'd get it to Forte later. "Okay. May I ask why you think Frey is going to start dating Doug?"
  * "Well, Doug is always _super_ flustered whenever Frey's around, so I'm pretty sure he likes her! And Frey's always bringing him food while he's working at the general store, so I think she might like him too!" She giggled. "Plus I think they'd be really cute together!"
  * "Well, that's fair. Now we just have to wait and see. Talk to me or Forte if you'd like to change your bet any, okay? Oh! And be sure that none of the boys find out! _Especially_ Kiel."
  * "Okay! My lips are sealed!"
  * That obviously wasn't the case.
  * By some stroke of unimaginable luck or perhaps divine intervention, it seemed like none of the eligible young men in town ever found out about the bet, but _everybody_ else in town did.
  * Every once in a while, somebody new would approach Clorica and ask for her to put their name and money down for their preferred bachelor.
  * And the pool of potential candidates eventually expanded to encompass every young man in town.
  * Margaret expanded her bet to also include Arthur after seeing the two taking a (romantic) walk together outside of town.
  * "They had _hearts_ in their eyes, I swear!"
  * Blossom (obviously) put down a lot of money on Doug.
  * "I want to see my grandchildren before I die!"
  * Bado bet a surprisingly decent amount on Kiel.
  * "Hey, somebody's gotta cheer the guy on."
  * Volkanon put down an _obscene_ amount of money on Vishnal, a bet that only seemed to grow every passing week.
  * "I have faith in the boy! And it... would just be... so lovely to see him... so happy!" (He broke down in tears after that confession)
  * Porcoline _wanted_ to bet on himself, but Margaret wouldn't let him ("You have _zero_ chance!"), so he settled for placing a generous amount of gold on both Arthur and Dylas.
  * "If I can't be happy with her, then at least one of them should be!"
  * Illuminata went for Doug _hard._
  * "You would doubt my expert detective skills?! She gave him a cookie on Valentine's Day, they're _obviously_ madly in love!"
  * "But, Lumie, Frey gave cookies to _everybody_ on Valentines Day."
  * "Don't question me!"
  * Dolce pretended like she wasn't interested at all, and that she only bet on Vishnal because Pico was bugging her about it, but she really was invested.
  * Now Jones, however, honestly didn't care.
  * But Nancy dragged him into at least placing a _little_ bit on somebody.
  * So he put down a small amount on Arthur.
  * Mostly just because he wanted somebody making sure that he was taking care of himself.
  * Nancy managed to corner _both_ Forte and Clorica to place her bet.
  * She smiled pleasantly at the two as she entered Forte's house (fortunately, Kiel wasn't home at the time ~~coincidentally, he was out with Frey at the moment.)~~
  * "Good afternoon, girls. I heard about the little wager you're running, and I've been wanting to throw my hat in the ring!"
  * Clorica smiled and pulled out her notebook. "Okay! Who would you like to bet on, and how much?"
  * "Oh, 10,000 gold on Leon, no doubt~♡."
  * That had both of them raising their eyebrows.
  * Of all the elligible young men in town, Leon was the only one that no one had bet on yet.
  * Forte bristled a little. _"_ _Leon?_ All he ever does is tease and irritate her! And he never takes anything seriously! What makes you think she'll end up with _him?_
  * "I don't think his teasing bothers her all that much, but I have to agree that I don't really see him ever settling down into a serious relationship," Clorica said. "In fact, you're the first person to put any money down on him, and that's quite a lot. What makes you so sure, if you don't mind my asking? Just out of curiousity."
  * Nancy's pleasant smile never faltered. "Oh, no worries. Let's just call it a woman's intuition. Besides, out of all the young men in town, Leon easily has the most sex-appeal. In terms of attractiveness, he has the others soundly beat." She offered them another cheerful, closed-eyed smile, innocent tone contrasting her words in a way that was starkly jarring.
  * Both of the young women were speechless and quite red-faced (Forte moreso than Clorica).
  * Forte cleared her throat. "O....okay," she finally squeaked out.
  * Neither of them looked at Nancy the same way after that.
  * Xiao Pai ended up being the only other person to bet on Leon, with a rather sizable amount of gold.
  * "It seems I know he likes to tease her, but that could be because he likes her, yes? He's much kinder than he likes to let on." She puffed out her cheeks, a determined look on her face. "Besides! I believe in him!"
  * Lin Fa also wanted to bet on Leon (out of a combination of principal and the fact that he _was_ very attractive), but through a series of mishaps involving both hers and Clorica's forgetfulness, she accidentally ended up putting 1,000 gold on Arthur instead.
  * In fact, Clorica's forgetfulness was something Ventuswill took _a lot_ of advantage of.
  * The townsfolk had tried to keep news of the town-wide wager away from the Divine Dragon for as long as possible, afraid that she would disapprove and try to put a stop to it, or worse, tell Frey.
  * But _of course_ she found out, it wasn't like they were being very subtle.
  * (Also Amber was terrible at keeping secrets).
  * But Ventuswill, _ooooohhhhh **Ventuswill.**_
  * She had a dastardly plan.
  * You see, the rule was no one person could bet on more than two bachelors, that was final.
  * But, well, as previously stated, Clorica was _very_ forgetful.
  * So every once in a while, when she passed by Venti's chamber, she would ask for her to mark her down for a different bachelor.
  * "Give me 5,000 for Kiel."
  * "Put down 3,000 on Dylas for me."
  * "Mark me down for 6,000 on Leon."
  * So on and so forth.
  * And Clorica, being Clorica, couldn't remember which men Venti had and hadn't betted on, so she just wrote down anything she told her to.
  * (It all got quite expensive for the Divine Dragon, but she had the entire town's treasury at her disposal).
  * (And honestly, it wasn't like she was spending any more than anybody else on this whole debacle).



_The Intensifying_

  * The original intent was that the wager would be done and collected once Frey started dating somebody.
  * However, that wasn't possible because, to the immense shock (and frustration) of the whole town, Frey hadn't started dating only _one_ bachelor.
  * But _all of them._
  * So the rules changed to whoever the princess ended up _marrying_ being the victor.
  * If anything, it only made the rivalry between the townsfolk even more intense, and their desperation to see their favorite candidates succeed even greater.
  * So much so that things began to become a _little_ out of hand.
  * Such as...
  * Margaret specifically setting Frey and Dylas up to be in romantic situations together.
  * She invited them both over to Porco's for dinner, only to find that the entire restaurant was completely deserted with a romantic, candle-lit dinner spread out on the table.
  * And where the hell was that music coming from?
  * (Margaret taught Pico how to play something on the violin so that there could be enticing music while still remaining out of sight).
  * Even more aggressive that Meg, to no surprise, was Illuminata.
  * She wasn't nearly so subtle with her meddling.
  * She actively tackled Doug into the lake so that he'd end up in a compromising position with Frey who was splashing around in the water.
  * All she accomplished was a few red faces and some bashful apologies.
  * Volkanon kept giving Vishnal so many strange, vague speeches and peptalks it was beyond all reason that he hadn't figured out what was going on yet.
  * "Vishnal, my boy, you need to remember to hold on tight and never let go when you find something that matters to you. There's a lot of people depending on it."
  * "Um... alright Sir...?"
  * Forte was going to go prematurely gray from the stress of trying to keep the whole ordeal secret from Kiel.
  * _Especially_ when Bado kept on _insisting_ on almost telling him just to send her into a panic.
  * "Oh hey, how're things going with you and Frey? I've got 1,000 gold riding on—"
  * _"Selling you something to give her for White Day!!!"_ She frantically covered, slapping a hand over his mouth.
  * Even ever-oblivious Kiel found that suspicious. "O.....kay? Everything's going great, but I was just going to make her something, you know? Sorry!"
  * But with how big the entire ordeal had gotten, it was only a matter of time before one of the men found out.
  * And that was Arthur.
  * However, instead of being embarrassed or upset that the town was betting on his love-life, he actually wanted to _participate._
  * "I see nothing wrong with it," he explained with a genial smile. "I have confidence in myself. So I'll bet 10,000 gold on myself."
  * Periodically, that bet too would rise.
  * Unfortunately, no one bachelor seemed to have any legs up against any of the others, so nothing was certain.
  * Well, I suppose _one_ thing was certain.
  * The majority of the town was going to go completely broke once Frey got married.
  * (And the small minority was going to become _very_ rich).



_The Conclusion(s)_

_Vishnal_

  * If Vishnal is the one Frey _finally_ ends up marrying, you can bet your ass Clorica is going to be smug about it.
  * Not overtly, but you can see it in her eyes during the wedding.
  * Just a little glimmer of _"I was right all along!"_
  * Dolce was a lot more obvious about how pleased she was.
  * (Only because it meant she was going to win a crap ton of money, not because she was glad to see Vishnal so happy or anything).
  * Illuminata was really bitter about the whole thing.
  * She was happy that they were happy, of course, but how could her detective intuition be wrong!?
  * She pulled Frey aside right before the wedding to conspiratorially whisper in her ear, "Are you _one hundred percent_ sure you want to go through with this? It's not too late to back out now, you know!"
  * Obviously, she didn't take that very well.
  * Volkanon was sobbing the entire time, but what else can you expect?
  * Talking about how he was _"_ _so proud"_ and that he'd _"_ _always believed in him."_
  * And he also kept giving him these tearful declarations of thanks.
  * It kind of confused the young groom to-be, but he just chalked it up to Volkanon being Volkanon.
  * No one was more pleased with themselves, however, than Ventuswill.
  * All throughout the ceremony she looked exactly like the cat that got the cream.
  * You could hear the smile in her voice as she officiated.
  * Immediately after the ceremony concluded, the crowd started to get antsy.
  * Frey and Vishnal were incredibly confused, but all was made clear when Forte came up to the middle of the town square and silenced everybody.
  * "Quiet! I know you are all anxious, but we will do this civilly! Everyone please come up and place your wager in this bag."
  * ...
  * "...W-wager...?"
  * Miraculously, the entire thing went down without much chaos. The one sac was not nearly enough to hold all the money that the townsfolk had bet on Frey's love life, so they had to go get a few more to hold all the heavy gold coins.
  * There was still plenty of grumbling from the sore losers as they came up and handed over their money, though.
  * By the end of it all, there was a certifiable _fortune_ collected in the town square.
  * Vishnal was stunned. "W-what is all this?"
  * "I... don't know," Frey said. "But I intend to find out."
  * But before she could march up to Forte and demand an answer for all of this strangeness, the knight made another announcement.
  * "Alright, now we will divide this between the people who voted for Vishnal, each person's winnings based on how much they bet. So Clorica, Dolce, Volkanon, and Lady Ventuswill, if you would please come here to collect your winnings."
  * It was then, as they were diving up all of the money, that it finally clicked in Frey's head.
  * "You _betted_ on who I'd _marry?!?!?!?!"_
  * All in all, she was more surprised than angry.
  * And the sheer _amount_ of money that had been wagered was shocking.
  * But, honestly, she was just happy to be married to the love of her life.
  * And Vishnal shared a similar sentiment.
  * Yes, there were many bitter hearts that day, but the blow was softened by just how _happy_ the new husband and wife looked together.



_Dylas_

  * Margaret and Porcoline were practically vibrating with happiness.
  * Margaret seemed especially satisfied with herself, humming a cheerful little tune all throughout the entire ceremony.
  * Very similar to Clorica, she had that little triumphant gleam of _"I was right!"_ in her eyes.
  * Clorica was only a little sore about it.
  * Dolce pretended like she didn't care, but of course she did.
  * "It's not like it's a big deal, anyway. What do I care who she gets married to? It's none of my business."
  * Bado was pretty easy-going about the whole thing, but he was still a bit disgruntled about losing so much money.
  * He had genuinely believed in Kiel!
  * Margaret and Porcoline offered Arthur their sympathy, but they were both still quite happy about the outcome.
  * "No, no, it's quite alright, I understand. These things... happen sometimes."
  * But of course, no one was as butthurt as Illuminata.
  * _"WHAT?!?!?! AFTER ALL THAT TROUBLE I WENT THROUGH?!?!?!?!"_
  * Once again, Venti was _super_ smug.
  * She'd win no matter who Frey ended up with, but it did warm her draconic heart a little bit extra to see two of her dearest friends happy together.
  * Unlike Vishnal, however, when the money was brought out, Dylas was pretty pissed.
  * _Especially_ at Margaret, Porcoline, and Venti.
  * Not like it was unjustified, but still.
  * "You're making _money_ off of my _wedding?!?!?!?!?!"_
  * ~~(Deep down he was really touched that they believed in him that much, though).~~
  * Though the other young men were shocked as well, Doug couldn't help but laugh at Dylas' chaotic outburst, goading him on.
  * Which, in turn, only made him all the more angry.
  * Frey had to calm him down and convince him that it wasn't all that big of a deal, lest he choke out the red-headed dwarf.
  * ~~(She really didn't want a murder to happen on her wedding day).~~
  * "Relax, Dally, really what does it matter? We're together, after all. Who cares about some silly bet?"
  * "I... I guess you're right."
  * After that, the evening went off without a hitch.
  * She was right, after all. They _were_ together, finally.
  * And in the end, that was all that really mattered to him.
  * And many people left the reception very, _very_ poor.
  * (But not Margaret, Ventuswill, and Porcoline).



_Kiel_

  * Forte had tried to pretend the entire time that she was completely uninterested in this silly little game, but she couldn't deny the swell of pride and happiness that bloomed in her chest when Kiel told her that he and Frey were getting married.
  * Mostly it was just because her sweet little brother had found someone to love, but there was a _liiiiittle_ itty bitty piece of her that felt triumphant.
  * She hadn't even really been _playing,_ but she still _won._
  * She couldn't stop telling Kiel how proud she was of him, how happy she was for him.
  * And she was _so happy_ for him.
  * She hated to admit it, but she hadn't really believed that he would succeed.
  * The fact that he did brought that doubt to light, and it both disappointed her and filled her with pride.
  * She had much to improve when it came to being a good older sister, but by the gods he had done it. He'd done it even without her genuine support, all on his own.
  * It almost brought her to tears.
  * Her baby brother was getting _married._
  * Now Bado, on the other hand, was a lot less emotional about it.
  * But he was still very proud.
  * Right before the ceremony, he gave him a slap on the back and said, "Good job, kid. You did it. I'm proud of you."
  * Now, Bado wasn't a very sentimental man.
  * But the way Kiel had smiled at him so brightly with stars in his eyes, just _so happy..._
  * Well, it was almost enough to bring a tear to even his eye.
  * Only a little one though.
  * ~~He'd never admit that he was holding them back throughout the entire ceremony.~~
  * Gods, honestly, even with the added chaos and tomfoolery of the bet, no one could deny that it was a beautiful wedding.
  * They just loved each other so much, were just so innocently happy to be getting married.
  * There wasn't a single dry eye in the square during their vows.
  * Even Leon gave him a pat on the back, and a genuine, "Congratulations."
  * It was so touching, in fact, that Forte almost forgot to collect the money.
  * Almost.
  * Kiel was terribly shocked, but he took the whole thing gracefully.
  * He found it kind of funny, actually.
  * He saw it as a game of sorts.
  * And, well, if it didn't bother Kiel, then it didn't bother Frey either.
  * They were both just too caught up in the rapture of being married to really care about the town's antics.
  * Even with Illuminata's howling.
  * And Dolce's cold sour grapes.
  * (Even she wasn't immune to the atmosphere, though, offering the newlyweds her sincere congratulations).
  * Once again, Ventuswill made away like a thief, the town completely unaware of her scheme.
  * Forte really didn't want the money, but of course she still accepted it.
  * And Bado, well...
  * Let's say that out of all the possible ways he'd ever thought up to get rich, a bet on whether or not his surrogate son would get married to his girlfriend was not one of them.



_Doug_

  * Doug's proposal was quite... _public._
  * So people had plenty of time to let out their bitterness before the ceremony.
  * Unfortunately that led to him receiving some dirty looks right after he proposed, mostly from Margaret and Dolce.
  * Doug being Doug, he just assumed it was because he had made a scene.
  * But most everybody else knew the truth.
  * Granny Blossom just looked so smug the entire time, even as she called for him to stop acting like a buffoon and get down from the roof.
  * _~~Looked like she'd be getting those grandbabies after all.~~_
  * Amber wasn't _smug,_ per se, she was just very happy for him.
  * She was glad that her friends were happy together.
  * Illuminata, however...
  * She was _ecstatic._
  * And she had no qualms with gloating about how _right_ she was on the wedding day.
  * "I told you I'm an ace detective! Of course my deductions turned out correct! What else could you expect from _me?"_
  * Frey and Doug didn't understand at all, but they decided that they would just let her be happy.
  * Right before the ceremony, Granny Blossom whispered something in Doug's ear that made his face turn as red as his hair.
  * Despite Frey's prying about it afterwards, however, he refused to talk about it.
  * "Oh, it was nothing." He waved his hand flippantly, but his reddening cheeks and high-pitched voice gave away his real feelings. "Just, uh... nothing you should worry about."
  * She was still curious, but that was all he would say about it.
  * Out of all of the bachelors, Doug was probably the most stunned when the money came out.
  * "W-what the heck is this about?!"
  * When the plot of the townsfolk was finally revealed to the bride and groom, Doug's face seemed to be stained a perpetual red.
  * He couldn't help but feel horribly embarrassed about it all.
  * Especially when Granny Blossom came up to collect her winnings.
  * _"G-Granny!?!?!?! You_ were apart of this too!?!?!?!"
  * "Of course, Dearie." She winked. "I have to pay for that new hip somehow."
  * He wanted to sink into a hole in the ground.
  * Of course, Dylas kept antagonizing him about how red he was.
  * (Partially because he was sour, partially because that's just the kind of relationship the two men had).
  * "I think you might want to check your fields for any missing crops, Frey, 'cause I think you might have accidentally married a tomato!"
  * "Oh come off it, horseface!"
  * Once again, Frey had to calm her new husband down.
  * But despite all the chaos and the embarrassment, they were still very happy to be together.
  * And Doug decided that he could tolerate even this as long as it meant that he got to be with her for the rest of his life.



_Arthur_

  * A lotof people had ended up betting on Arthur.
  * Even Arthur himself.
  * Though that was mostly just a combination of confidence and wishful thinking on his part.
  * So Arthur, Jones, Porcoline, Margaret, Lin Fa, and Ventuswill would all end up leaving the wedding very rich.
  * The two of them just had so much chemistry, it was no surprise to anyone when they finally got engaged.
  * Anyone with ears and eyes could tell that Arthur had been smitten with Frey just about since they'd both arrived in town.
  * He was _openly_ flirty, and only Frey's oblivious ass could ever have mistaken that for friendliness.
  * So even to those with the sourest of grapes, there was still some kind of catharsis in seeing the prince and faux-princess end up together.
  * But make no mistake, the grapes were still sour.
  * Especially with Dolce and, surprisingly, Xiao Pai.
  * Margaret and Porcoline offered their condolences to Dylas, but once again they were both very pleased with this outcome.
  * The smuggest victor, however, was Arthur himself.
  * His wasn't the open grinning of Ventuswill and Granny Blossom, however.
  * Just the contented, self-satisfied air he carried with him throughout the day.
  * He walked with an extra skip in his step, and if asked about it he would say (not untruthfully) that it was because he was marrying the love of his life.
  * But that wasn't quite the _whole_ truth.
  * He did love to win, after all.
  * And to him, Frey's heart was the sweetest prize he could ever earn.
  * ~~(The monetary prize was only an added bonus).~~
  * Since Arthur already knew about the bet, the only surprise was from Frey and the other young men in town.
  * But what shocked her the most was that Arthur not only wasn't surprised, but that he had _participated._
  * "What? I don't see the harm in it. I always knew that I wanted to marry you." He placed a tender kiss on her knuckles. "And I always had faith that you would stay with me."
  * Frey had no more objections after that, too busy forcing down the white-hot blush that had creeped up her face.
  * They were _married,_ dammit, she needed to get ahold of herself!
  * When the victors were announced, Xiao Pai turned to her mother with an absolutely _betrayed_ look.
  * "Mama! I thought you said you were going to bet on Leon with me!"
  * Lin Fa blinked absentmindedly. "Oh, I thought I had! Oh well, I guess not!" She smiled. "But hey, I suppose that means I won!"
  * Xiao Pai sighed dejectedly. "And once again it seems that everything works out perfectly for Mama."
  * It was a lovely wedding, and even though many were still bitter about it, they couldn't deny how good the two looked together.
  * Even those who won found themselves busier with appreciating the event than putting any thought to their winnings.
  * ~~(But make no mistake, this was putting any of Jones' and Nancy's future children through college).~~



_Leon_

  * Contrary to common knowledge, there was more than one bachelor who was aware of the town's little game.
  * In fact, Leon had known from the very start, having been working in Arthur's office at the time the bet was begun and having overheard the girls' conversation with his superior fox hearing.
  * But, well, there was no reason for him to get involved in it.
  * Especially because A) he was never going to get married, so he would never date Frey.
  * ~~No matter how badly he wanted to.~~
  * And B) the whole ordeal sounded like it could become very _amusing._
  * Which it did.
  * The whole town running around like chickens with their heads cut off, trying so desperately to keep the growing secret hidden from him and the other young men.
  * It was completely hilarious.
  * However, the comedy of the situation was slightly dampened for him when, against every shred of common sense he had left, he began to date Frey.
  * Along with the five other young bachelors in town.
  * He still didn't interfere with the bet, but the knowledge that one day she would give up on him and marry one of the other men weighed on him.
  * He didn't hold anything against her, or against them, for that matter. It was a punishment he had inflicted upon himself, after all, a cage of his own making.
  * But it still hurt.
  * He ignored it the best he could, however, instead focusing on the fun of the chaos of the whole ordeal.
  * At one point he actually approached Forte and put down 500 gold on Kiel.
  * At her incredulous look he just shrugged.
  * "Well, it's not going to be me, so I might as well show my support."
  * But all of his plans were completely flipped onto their heads after the whole ordeal with Maria's letters.
  * He had tried to suppress it, but he knew right then that he wanted nothing else in the world more than to marry the kind, strong, impossible woman standing before him.
  * So he asked her.
  * And by some stroke of divine luck, she said _yes._
  * He could hardly believe it himself, but she said _yes._
  * They were going to get _married._
  * But first, there was one thing he needed to do.
  * It was late at night, the rain pouring down lending a foreboding and mysterious air to his errand.
  * He knocked on Forte and Kiel's door, and, fortunately, Forte answered.
  * "Leon? It's the middle of the night! I was just about to go to bed, what could you possibly want at this hour?" The peeved lady knight crossed her arms as she stood in the doorway.
  * "What, you're not going to invite me inside? I'm soaked to the bone out here. And here I thought it was your job to protect _all_ the people of Selphia. I guess your personal feelings towards me have interfered with your work?"
  * She flushed angrily and stepped aside to let him in, grumbling, "It's my job to protect people from outside threats, monsters and invaders and the like, not your own stupid decisions. This had better be important."
  * "Oh trust me, Forte, it is." He pinned her with a serious, intense look.
  * She swallowed a little under his uncharacteristically grave gaze. "W-what is it?"
  * His expression did not falter as he said, "I want to bet everything I own on myself."
  * There was a beat.
  * "Wh-what? Leon, you know you can't do that! There's a limit to how much you can—"
  * "Forte." He cut her off. "Every. Thing. I own. I need you to do this for me."
  * She looked very, _very_ conflicted for a long minute. Finally, she sighed. "You're serious, aren't you?"
  * "Deadly."
  * "You know what, fine then. Fine. You win. If you want to throw your whole life down the drain, then be my guest." She angrily scribbled out his wager on a slip of paper. "There. It's official. You can't back out of it now, so if it doesn't work out you'll have to live with the consequences of your actions."
  * He smiled. "Thank you. I appreciate it."
  * "Was that all then?" She crossed her arms impatiently.
  * "Yes, yes, that was all." He turned to leave, but he stopped once he got to the door.
  * "Oh, yeah. I almost forgot, there _was_ one more thing." A slow, dangerous smirk spread across his face.
  * "Frey asked me to come over and invite you and Kiel to our wedding. It's next week. Have a good night."
  * And all throughout the town, the wild shouting of, _"GODS FUCKING DAMMIT LEON!!!!!!!"_ could be heard.
  * Leon chuckled to himself as he made his way back to the inn for the night. That was _definitely_ worth it.
  * The entire town was shocked to learn of Frey and Leon's engagement because, well, except for Nancy and Xiao Pai, no one believed that he would ever settle down like that.
  * But **_ooohhh_** the big smiles on Xiao and Nancy's faces said it all.
  * They would be making _bank._
  * In their shock, most of the townsfolk couldn't even find it in themselves to be sore about losing.
  * And also, it was a bit difficult to remain upset that the unlikely couple was getting married when Leon had such an... uncharacteristically soft look in his eyes.
  * It seemed as if it was the first time he was truly happy while in Selphia.
  * And, well, no one could blame him for getting married because of that.
  * Just like with Dylas, Ventuswill felt a warm kind of fondness in her heart at seeing her friends so happy together.
  * But perhaps it was slightly different, more full-circle.
  * Her oldest friend, the first Guardian.
  * And her newest friend, the one who had released them.
  * There was something poetic about that, but it was beyond Ventuswill to be able to express it.
  * Frey was shocked by two things once the money came out.
  * One: that Leon had bet such an _enormous_ amount of money on himself.
  * And two: that he had bet money on _someone else._
  * In response to her incredulous look when he dropped 500 gold into one of the sacs, he shrugged. "Hey, I didn't think I'd make it this far, remember? Figured I might as well throw my hat in the ring."
  * And she laughed because it was such a very _Leon_ thing to do, and she'd have it no other way.
  * That night, once the reception was finally over and everyone had gone home and the bride and groom were both sore from dancing all evening, they went to pay a visit to Ventuswill.
  * "What are you two doing here? Don't you have some passionate honeymoon to get to or something?"
  * Frey chuckled a little. "In a bit. But first I just have to ask: how did you know that I was going to end up with Leon? You earned a _lot_ of money from that bet."
  * Venti preened, puffing out her feathers in indignation. "What kind of question is that?! You're my two best friends, _of course_ I knew you'd get married! Frankly I'm insulted that you think I _wouldn't_ know!"
  * Leon smirked, crossing his arms as a gleam shone in his eyes. "You bet on everyone, didn't you?"
  * "................................................Maybe."
  * The two of them burst into howling laughter at that sheepish response, and eventually even the dragon herself couldn't resist joining in.
  * Life was good. And it could only get better with the two of them finally by each other's side. Forever.



**Author's Note:**

> Damn, can you tell which of the bachelors is my favorite? I really went overboard at the end there. I just had so many ideas! I'm sorry Leon's part is so much longer than the others. I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless! Thanks for reading!


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